Page 55: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2012)

BLOGS@ MARITIMEPROFESSIONAL.COMHong Kong Fatal Ferry CrashThere will be no fast answers Harrowing accounts of the moments after two fer- ries collided in Hong Kong on Monday night are being played out in the local media.Hong Kong woke up on Tuesday morning to the horrify- ing news that at least 24 people had been killed and dozens injured following the ferry collision. That figure quickly rose to 38 as more bodies were pulled from the sunken Lamma IV ferry that went down after the crash. High-speed catamaran Sea Smooth managed to limpto shore with its bows badly smashed. The Lamma IV was filled with employees of Hong Kong Electric and their families and was en route to Victoria Har- bour a short distance away to watch the spectacular Na- tional Day fireworks display. At 8.23pm Lamma IV was rammed on the port side. Wit- nesses describe a massive impact that threw passengers vi- olently around the cabin or overboard. Panicked and disoriented, the passengers struggled to make their way out of the stricken vessel. But for many people on the ferry, time ran out. The col-lision appears to have torn open watertight areas in the stern and the ferry began taking water. Shockingly, it stood on its tail and sank within two minutes , witnessessaid, leaving more than 120 passengers little time to find lifejackets or the exits. Divers found many of the bodies trapped inside the vessel. Police have arrested seven peo- ple ? the captains of both ferries and other crew ? and have promised a thorough investigation. Despite the tragic loss of life, the sweeping arrests will not make the investiga- tion any easier, and probably scare crew members into si- lence. It is the worst maritime disaster in Hong Kong in 40 years. The deadliest occurred on August 16, 1971, when the Hong Kong-Macau ferry, Fat Shan, sank during Ty- phoon Rose, killing 88 passengers and crew. Only three people survived. More recently, the oil rig supply vessel Neftegaz-67 col- lided with mainland bulk carrier Yao Hai on March 22, 2008, off Lantau Island. Eighteen crew from the supply vessel died. Following a lengthy investigation and court proceedings, both captains and the two pilots on board the bulk carrier were jailed. However, the cargo ship captain and one of the pilots were freed on appeal. The sentences of the Neftegaz captain and the chief pilot were later reduced pending anappeal in January. Hong Kong?s relationship with the sea is a long one, with hundreds of islands scattered across theterritory and a vibrant fishing industry. Thousands of ves- sel arrivals and departures have made the city a container shipping hub port and a busy transshipment centre. The Marine Department has the procedures in place and thetraffic controls to prevent collisions, so even with some of the busiest waters in the world, fatal accidents should not be regarded as inevitable. There will be no fast answers to what is certain to be a drawn out inquiry, but as with all disasters, the lessons learned via an investigation are vital in preventing one happening again.. Posted by Greg Knowler (Hong Kong) on MaritimeProfessional.com Capt. William Bainbridge, USNAn early Father of the U.S. Navy, e es- tablished a tradition of bold leader- ship that continues to this dayWilliam Bainbridge (1774-1833) en- tered the US merchant marine in 1789.Through self-education and hardwork, he became a mate and, at 19, was given command of the merchant ship Hope (140 tons with four nine-pound guns). In the Caribbean, hewas hailed by a British schooner to stop and be boarded. He refused and afirefight ensured. Although the schooner carried more guns, Bain-bridge had a better-trained crew, and forced the British schooner to strike colors. Bainbridge joined the thenone-year-old United States Navy in 1798 and was appointed to command the galley Retaliation. While cruising in the Caribbean during the Quasi-War with France, the Retaliation was cap- tured by a pair of French frigates. Bainbridge and the galley were taken to Guadeloupe. He convinced the Governor of Guadeloupe to release him and a number of American prison- ers and to restore the Retaliation to hiscommand ? and promptly sailed backhome. In 1800, he was given com- mand of the frigate George Washing- ton and tasked with carrying tribute to the Dey of Algiers. At that time, the U.S. and various European powers paid tribute to the Barbary Pirates for safe passage of their merchant shipsthrough the western Mediterranean.Many ships for which tribute had not been paid were captured and theircrews forced into slavery. During this distasteful mission, Bainbridge was employed by the Dey to carry gifts to the Sultan of Turkey. Bainbridge was instrumental in securing an order fromthe Sultan to the Dey obliging him to release 400 US merchant mariners.Upon his return to the U.S. in 1801,Bainbridge was given command of the Essex and assigned to cruise against marauding Barbary pirates. When the War of 1812 commenced, Bainbridge was assigned to command the Consti- tution (Old Ironsides). On 29 Decem-ber 1812, the Constitution defeatedand captured the larger British frigate Java. Posted by Dennis Bryant on MaritimeProfessional.com Economics makes maritime veterans shudder, but ports and ships are built because of economics and trade links.Which is why the American Society of Engineers takes so much notice of economic effects of port and inland waterway investment. If America only maintains its current level of in- vestment in these systems, the losses to its economy will in- crease shipping costs annually. By 2020, lost value of exports will be $270 billion and will rise to almost $2 trillion by 2040.Roughly $1.3 trillion in business sales will be lost by 2020, rising to $7.8 trillion by 2040. The cumulative loss in national GDP will be about $700 billion by 2020 and reach $4 trillionby 2040. Disposable personal income will be lost, with lossesprojected at almost $872 billion through 2020 and $4.5 trillionthrough 2040. With this reduction in production, income, and spending, there are projected to be 738,000 fewer jobs in 2020,? the engineers? report says. ?By 2040, the job losses will grow to almost 1.4 million ? jobs that will be lost due to the lack of U.S. competi- tiveness in global trade and because the nation?s house- holds and businesses will be spending more for commodities that arrive by marine ports and are trans- ported to market via inland waterways.? Problems on the waterways are cascading. ?Maintaining ex- isting conditions and levels of unscheduled delay on the na- tion?s inland waterways will already require almost $13 bil- lion by 2020 and an additional $28 billion by 2040. Currentfunding levels can support only $7 billion through 2020 and an additional $16 billion through 2040. A total of 27 percent of these needs entail the construction of new lock and dam facil- ities, and 73 percent are estimated for the rehabilitation of cur- rent facilities.? The civil engineers? analysis is not all utterly bleak. ?The needs are not expected to increase sharply or ex- ponentially, but will peak after 2020, when critical age and ca- pacity thresholds are likely to be reached.? Extra costs will be faced because of congestion at the main ports. The report comes out with a remarkable assertion that in 2010 the total for the country was $1.1 billion, with Los An- geles accounting for $440 million and New York $280 million. There is likely to be some disagreement with this assessment, if only because congestion is such a broad term and becausedifferent factors can come into play, some of which are beyond human control On the waterways, delays are sure to get worse, says the report. In 2009 there were 6,500 scheduled delays and12,000 unscheduled. The total number of hours of delay was 82,000 and 74,000 respectively. Lost trade through ports and waterways due to the invest- ment gap between 2012 and 2040 is put at almost $3 trillion. Posted by Martin Rushmere on MaritimeProfessional.com It?s a Matter of Economics, Remember Too little port investment impacts business; the US economy October 2012www.marinelink.com 55MR#10 (50-56):MR Template 10/5/2012 11:50 AM Page 55